PLANS for a hi-tech hospice fit for the needs of children in the 21st Century have now been unveiled in Worcester.

The model, on which the £4m Acorns Children's Hospice Trust development on Bath Road will be based, was put on public display at the site under the guidance of John Overton, the charity's chief executive.

The 10-bed respite centre, set to open in 2004, will care for youngsters with life-limiting conditions and is being underwritten to the tune of £750,000 by benefactor Cecil Duckworth.

It will have accommodation for families, a hydrotherapy pool, multi-sensory room, landscaped gardens and 10 bedrooms for children and teenagers.

Temporary offices, a car park, new fencing, shrubbery and trees are already in place to allow care, fund-raising and administrative staff to work on site and show people that the area is already changing.

The Trust already supports 50 families in the three counties.